A New Generation
by Tinker2point0
Summary: Clary and Jace have a daughter. She hasn't even begun to break the surface of her abilities. Will she be able to handle her powers? Will she have to go it alone?  Rated T cuz idk what will happen in future.
1. LOST CHAPTER

**A/N: **OMG I am such an idiot… I accidentally saved ch 2 as 1 and then managed to delete it and now cant find it…. AAAAAHHHH! Sorry sorry sorry! I shall try to find it asap. Sorry to anyone who is utterly confused right now… OMG *BLUSHING*

The story works without the first chapter... it's just Jace, Clary and Ally discussing Ally's 16th birthday party.

PLEASE READ ON!


	2. MONDAY

**A/N: So I was trying to edit ch 1 and 2, somehow managed to save 2 over 1 and completely lost 1… I tried previous version but laptop couldn't fid it.. so I'm not sure what to do… I'm gonna try getting it off of my old laptop…there may be just enough juice in it :-/ but here is chapt 2.**

**Disclaimer: The older generation characters in this story are the property of Casandra Clare. This story is a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. However, the original characters and the progression of their lives belong to me.**

**Chapter 2: Monday**

Alyssa walked through the streets contemplating the conversation she had just had with her parents. _I must be the strangest kid on the planet. My mom had to beg _me_ to throw me a birthday party. _She chuckled to herself. Finally, she came to the base of the little hill behind the towers. _My hill._ This was the place where she liked to be alone. She could see all of Alicante from here, and a bit of Idris beyond the walls around the city. Once Ally reached the top of the hill, she plopped down. _I'm glad it's sunny today. Perfectly warm and bright. _She opened up her sketchbook to a new page and started drawing.

Ally started with her cousin Levi. He was taller than her (not that that was hard) and quite pale, though slightly more golden toned than his father. His unkempt hair was so black it put the Idrian Ravens to shame and he was always pushing out of his face. His eyes were ice blue. Much paler than Aunt Izzy's. He had a piercing stare that made it feel like he was reading your soul like an open book. He could be very serious some times (though very rarely). Most of the time he was as nerdy as any gamer; sweet, easy going, and hilarious. He was the one Ally talked to when she needed a shoulder and a hug from someone other than her parents. His canines were a bit longer and pointier than normal. "All the better to eat you with," he would say. He Just turned 17.

Next, Ally moved on to her 16 year old "Aunt" Lucy. She was really more like a sister and definitely Ally's best friend. Lucy was also taller than Ally, though not so much as Levi. She looked like both her parents got somehow smushed together. Her hair was a beautiful, rich, reddish-brown. It was smooth and had the perfect amount of wave to it (except right after her transformations when it was frizzy and pretty much everywhere). Her eyes were chocolaty brown; warm and always full of emotion. When she was little and didn't get her way, she would throw a temper tantrum. Not being fully in control of her abilities, she would transform into a tiny werewolf and proceeded to chase her tail until she got dizzy and fell over. Then she would transform back. She was in complete control now and would "go wolf" on Levi every time he made his Little Red Riding Hood cracks.

Ally didn't usually like to draw herself, but today she positioned her sketched self between her two best friends. Her red hair was in crazy fly-away curls that hung nearly halfway down her back. It wasn't as red as her mother's or as rich as Lucy's, but it was still one of her favorite features. Her eyes were a golden-brown caramel color and the only thing she liked more about herself than her hair. She had fair skin and looked like she could use a tan even though she was outside a lot. She stood at about 5'3" and was pretty sure she wasn't getting any taller.

Underneath the three of them, she drew a little banner. "The Three Musketeers." _So cliché… But so true. _She smiled to herself. Uncle Simon had called them that when they were about 5 and had become inseparable.

Looking up at the sky, Ally realized it was starting to get late so she packed up and headed home.

~~Scene Change~~

The next morning was a Monday. _Yay…time to face my peers. _Ally rolled out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans out of her bottom drawer. Then she searched her top drawer for her purple tee with the multi colored paint splatter (courtesy of her mom). She trudged down the hall and into the bathroom to shower. After her shower, Ally threw on her clothes and raked a comb through her annoying tangles, before trotting down to the breakfast table. Her mom had already laid out some French toast, bacon, and a glass or milk.

"Thanks mom!"

"You're welcome sweety. So what's on the schedule for today?"

"Well it's Monday, so sparring and hand to hand combat. I wish I could skip Mondays… I'm tired of the withering stares I get from everyone when I beat them."

"You could always lose."

"Yeah right mom. That wouldn't be obvious," she giggled. She liked knowing that she was a good fighter. She just hated that everyone put her down for "not giving anyone else a chance." She just figured if they were better fighters, she wouldn't have to give them a chance,and it was up to her to train them. The girls, however, had given up trying to fight her long ago (except of course Lucy who loved an excuse to go head to head with anybody; when or lose). At least the guys still tried. Maybe today she'd suggest that 3 of them take her on. _Yeah, like Seekins would go for that._

"Alright, well, I'm off." Ally got up from the table and set her dishes in the sink.

"Play nice with the other kids baby!" Clary said in a motherly, yet somehow sarcastic, kind of way.

"I will mom! Love you! See you later!" Grabbing her backpack, which contained her gear, stele, two seraph blades, sketchbook, and art box, she threw it over her shoulder and slipped on her red Converse® high-tops (she had a pair of the black knee-high Converse® boots that she wore hunting).

"Love you too! And say 'Hi' to Lucy and Levi for me would you? And mention the party to them and tell them to pass it on to their families."

Ally came back into the kitchen with a facetiously- incredulous look on her face at the thought of having to put effort into her own party. "Anything else you want me to do? Bake the cake? Pick up the decorations? Order the pizza?"

"Well, since you offered…"

"Forget it mom. I gotta go."

"Haha Ok sweetheart!"

"Bye."

"Bye."

~~Scene Change~~

Ally barely made it to class on time. Everyone was already in their gear and ready to begin sparring.

Lucy ran over to Ally. "Where have you been? Class is about to start."

"Mom and I were talking; remind me to tell you about my birthday party later."

"Will do. Now go get ready!"

Westley Seekins had just begun his lecture on being aware of your surroundings, especially behind you, when Ally came back in. He was a tall man with salt and pepper hair. He was lean, but his muscles were clearly defined. _I wonder if I could take him on?_ She thought to herself.

Seekins deep voice broke through her thoughts. "Break up into pairs and practice sneaking up on each other. Try to counter with your back turned to your partner."

As always, Lucy and Ally were partnered. No one ever really wanted to be paired with a "half breed." Even though there had been peace under the accords for 20 years between the Nephilim and the downworlders, it was rare to see half-Nephilim. It was still frowned upon as most wanted to keep the bloodlines pure. Of course, no one wanted to be paired with Ally either because they knew she would defeat them.

After Ally had taken Lucy down with her back turned and Lucy had failed as many times to take Ally down, Ally noticed a new movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked and saw a boy, probably about 17 or 18 standing in the doorway to the gym watching everyone intently. He was very attractive. His features were sort of soft and boyish but his eyes suggested he had seen more than anyone else. More war, more loss, more joy, whatever it was, it was just more. He stood so silently and so unmoving it was as if he willed himself to become part of the doorframe. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans which clung to his arms and legs… _In all the right places. Damn, why do I have to be attracted to muscles?_ He was built like a football quarterback. Sort of small (well, for a guy, he was still about 5'9) with average weight, a little on the lean side but with somewhat thick arms and legs for someone his size. He had black hair that fell to his ears. His eyes were black as well. His skin had a light olive tone.

Right then, Lucy landed a blow. Ally never saw it coming, and she always sees it coming; especially from Lucy. Lucy had planted a round-house kick right in Ally's side, just above the waist. Ally went sprawling to the side. It took her a moment to realize what had happened. She had become distracted by the beautiful (if you can call a boy that) boy and let down her guard. _Wow… no one has ever gotten the better of me before… besides dad…Ok Ally, focus… focus. _Ally took a deep breath before letting Lucy help her up. Ally noticed she was grinning her "I-know-something-you-don't-know" grin. That's never a good sign.

"What are you smiling at Luce?

"I saw that."

"Saw what?"

"You… Looking at that boy… quite gorgeous! I approve!" Lucy smirked, one eyebrow raised playfully.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ally answered, nonchalantly brushing herself off. "Come on, let's keep going. I believe it was my turn to attack." She chanced a quick glance to the door as Lucy turned away from her. The boy was gone.

The two girls continued until noon, when Seekins dismissed them for lunch. "After lunch we're gonna meet out back and do some tournament sparring. See you in one hour." Most of the class groaned, Lucy said, "Yes!" and Ally just rolled her eyes.

Lucy and Ally grabbed their lunches and wandered out to their usual spot on the lawn under a large oak tree. Levi was already waiting for them. He was in the older class which had apparently been released for lunch a bit early today.

"How was sparring?" he asked smiling up at them.

"Oh you know," Lucy shrugged, "Ally kicked my ass. I landed one kick though." A huge smile spread across her face.

Levi looked incredulous. "You're kidding?"

"Nope. She was a bit… distracted." She winked at Ally, who rolled her eyes back.

"I was not distracted. I let you win."

Levi, noticing the wink, chimed in, "Distracted huh? By what?"

Lucy just laughed.

"Or should I say by who?" he added, looking between the two.

"Oh some really cute new guy." Said Lucy.

"New guy? Black hair and eyes?"

"I think so. Ally? You got the best look at him."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I was ignoring you." Ally wouldn't even look up from her sandwich.

"Well you aren't doing a good enough job." Levi and Lucy were staring intently at Ally.

_*sigh*_ "Yes. Black hair, black eyes, 5'9" ish, muscley, etc." Ally waved them off.

"Yeah, that's James Carstairs, from London. Apparently they have been overrun with Demons the last few weeks so he couldn't get here till now. He's pretty quiet, keeps to himself."

"If he's in the older class, how come we've never seen him before?" Lucy queried.

"He did his beginner class two years ago when he was 15. Last year his mom was injured pretty badly so he stayed home to pick up the slack and help keep an eye on her."

"Was she Ok?" she asked, alarmed.

"Oh yeah, she's fine."

"That's good."

They finished their lunches mostly in silence; chatting every now and again.

Around one o'clock, both classes started gathering in the yard. It was time for the mini tournament to begin.


	3. KUNG FU FIGHTING

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I still don't have a laptop but I stole my boyfriend's and tethered it to my cell for internet… YAY TECHNOLOGY!**

**Thanks to all for your reviews! They make me smile! Also, I accept constructive criticism (no burns please) so if you have any advice or there is something I could do differently let me know!**

**Oh and I would like to apologize for the fact that I'm not very good at coming up with title/chapter titles so they are kinda boring and obvious but I hate calling my chapters 'Chapter 1' etc.**

**And to those who I confused: Lucy is Ally's Aunt. She is Luke and Jocelyn's daughter. Maia may make a small appearance, however, she is busy leading a small pack of all female warewolves on the south side of NYC ;) Also for those of you who are Malec fans... they will make their appearances as well :)**

**Disclaimer: The older generation characters in this story are the property of Cassandra Clare. This story is a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. However, the new characters are my puppets and the unfolding of their lives is up to me. **

**Chapter 3: Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting**

~~James POV~~

_I'm late! I can't believe I'm late! It's no wonder mother calls me the white rabbit! My first day of class after missing 3 weeks and I still can't seem to be on time. _

The boy hears noise coming from inside a classroom to his right and slows down. _This must be the place..._ He bolts through the double doors only to stop dead on the other side. _Definitely not the place._ He realizes that this must be the first year class practicing some sparring technique or other. Just as he turns to go, he stops again as a flash of red catches his eye. A girl with the most angelic face he has ever seen and a shock of insanely curly red hair just took down her sparring partner in two seconds flat. _Wow._ _She's pretty good. _He stands there a bit longer, watching as the brunette tries and miserably fails to sneak up and take her down. In one fluid motion the red-head reached behind her, without even looking, grabs the brunette's wrist, spins back into her while pulling her forward by the captured arm, and plants an elbow into her stomach before flipping her over the head. _Ok... maybe she's better than pretty good._ The brunette landed on her back with a light "oomf."

He keeps observing as the red-head waits a moment before running with incredible speed and agility up behind the brunette. As the brunette swings out to try landing a punch, the red-head drops to her hands and knees, and spin-kicks the brunettes legs out from under her.

_Mental note: never take this girl on... you just might not live to tell the tale._

As the red-head was preparing for her partner to come up behind her, she looked toward him. _Damn! _ He quickly looks in the direction of another duo that is having some sort of wrestling match at the far side of the room. When he looked back, he didn't see the red-headed girl. _Hm... the brunette must have gotten her... Heh... she must have been a bit... distracted. _He smiled to himself.

Suddenly he remembered what he was doing there, spun on his heel and continued running full speed down the hall toward the other classroom.

~~Ally POV~~

_Helloooo muscles! - No! Bad Ally! -But you can't deny he's cute. - Cute gets you into trouble. - Bet he could handle himself... - Doesn't matter, snap out of it and pay attention!_

It was one in the afternoon and the two classes had just met in the yard. Levi left to join his classmates and James was toward the outside edge of the crowd, leaning against the wall.

Lucy jabbed Ally in the ribs with her elbow.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ally whispered harshly.

"You have your massive-internal-debate face on and I don't like it. Pay attention we're about to get this shindig started."

"Shindig? Haha. You're funny... And I did _not_ have massive-internal-debate face on."

Lucy raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Ha! You didn't deny having a massive internal debate!"

"I...but...it... fine so I was having an internal debate... what of it?"

Lucy laughed, "Just fill me in later and pay attention."

"I suppose you're all wondering why you have been gathered together today." George Seekins and Aline Penhallow stood in front of the two classes. Aline explained, "We have been talking and have decided we would like to try a little experiment. Today we're gonna have a tournament between the two classes in order to get a better feel for your talents and styles. Afterward, we are going to pair you up by ability. You are essentially going to be 'parabatai' for the week. On monday, we are going to have another tournament between the teams to see how much you learned from each other."

One of the boys from the first year class cut in, "Well we already know who our best is so she doesn't even need to bother with the tournament."

Lucy piped up, "Aww thank you, you are so sweet to say that!" She stood and bowed to everyone, waving like a beauty queen. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Go get 'em Luce," said Ally. Then they both laughed as everyone gave them a funny look. Only Levi and James chuckled with them.

"Alright settle down." Aline broke back in. "This isn't just about who the best is. It's about learning your techniques and determining your best fit. We'll start out with everyone picking a partner, we'll put down your names and keep track as one in each pair moves on. Basic tournament style. Now, it just so happens that we have an odd number this round so I'm gonna ask Ally to sit it out and give someone else a chance." Noticing the look on Ally's face she added, "Don't worry Ally, you'll get your chance to prove yourself, we just need to let things even out a bit."

Ally went over to sit on the little brick half-wall that ran around the back side of the yard. She pulled out her sketchpad and began doodling while everyone else paired up and began to spar.

During the tournament the teachers milled about, observing techniques, making notes, keeping things fair. Ally would look up now and again, adding bits of information from the scene in front of her to the drawing she was working on. It was two people, each a sort of collage of classmates, dueling each other, one was doing a high kick, the other blocking with one hand punching with the other. _Funny... the one that's kicking looks suspiciously like James... I'm obviously looking at him too much. _She stopped drawing and flipped to a new page to start over.

As time progressed pairs finished up, winners were determined and they would all take a seat, waiting for the remaining battles to finish up so that the next round could start. In order to take extra time observing everyone, those that lost in the first round were paired with each other, while the winners were paired. _You get to lose twice before you have to sit out the rest of the tournament? Wow... this could take a while._ Ally continued her drawing, this time paying even less attention to her classmates. She'd given up on the fighting couple and started drawing the yard and the ivy covered stone building.

After about an hour, Ally was finally able to join in. They paired her with one of the boys from her class who had won all of his fights. _So far_. Thought Ally. She narrowed her eyes at the boy as Seekins raised his hand.

"OK everyone. Ready. Begin." He brought down his hand and immediately the round had begun.

At this point there were 6 pairs of fighters. Eight from the class of second years and four from the first year class. Ally, Levi, Lucy and James had all made it through. _I'm not surprised_. Ally thought between dodging a kick and throwing a punch (also dodged). She kept stealing quick glance in his direction. _He's pretty light on his feet for a guy._

Erik and Ally stood a few feet apart and circled each other. He was slowing down a little as he had already been fighting for an hour. So Ally took it easy on him, mostly just dodging everything he threw at her. After about 10 minutes, Erik started getting a little frustrated. _Ha! You've fallen into my trap! Bring it! _Ally curled her fingers at him, making him more frustrated. He lunged. Running quickly toward her a couple paces. He jumped and did a flip over her head, landing lightly behind her. He quickly spun around flinging out his foot trying to land a kick in the middle of her back. Just as quickly, Ally spun around and grabbed his foot. She pulled past her right side while stepping forward, causing Erik to lose his balance and fall forward. She brought her right hand up and punched him in the nose. He fell backward onto the ground.

"Ally, do please try _not_ to knock out all of your opponents," said Aline as she bent to look over Erik. She drew a quick _iratze_ at the base of his throat. "Can you give me a hand?" She gestured to a little cot that had been set up near the field. Ally said, "Sure," and grabbed his arm lifting it around her neck while Aline grabbed his other arm.

Several pairs of eyes followed them over to the cot.

"Take a picture, it will last longer," Ally said to some of the more obvious stares.

After Erik, Ally took on Michael. He was a burly second year who relied heavily on his strength. Too bad Ally was too fast for him. _It's true what they say, 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.' Man, that looked painful. _Ally had taken him down in about 5 minutes with a well-placed kick to the chest.

Ally watched as the others finished up. James brought down the second year he had been up against (some little Russian guy who was fast and nimble) with a good old fashioned punch. Levi leveled his second year opponent, and Lucy won her match with the final first year. The last two to win were a guy from Isreal who was skilled in Krav Maga and a who Ally was pretty sure had to be part Amazon. She was tall and strong.

"Alright! Final pairings!" called Aline. "Levi Lightwood, Isaac Harel. Lucy Graymark, Andromeda Angelis. James Carstairs, Allysa Lightwood."

The pairs moved into place and took up stance.

Ally bit her lip as she measured up her opponent. _Damn! I was hoping this wouldn't happen._ Even though he was wearing loose fitting jeans, she could make out some of the definition in his legs. _Strong. Fast. He'll probably use a lot of kicks._ His stomach and arms were easy to make out under his not so loose white tee. _Hello abs, I really wish we weren't meeting like this…FOCUS! Good upper body control. His center of gravity is low so it'll be hard to knock him over. _Ally took a deep breath as she moved to his face. He was handsome. Very handsome. Ally could tell he was measuring her up as well as his eyes moved slowly up her body. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious. And warm. _Oh God, I hope I'm not blushing. FOCUS!_ Ally took another deep breath and tried to concentrate on finishing her assessment of him. His dark hair was slightly long (just long enough that it fell into his eyes. His eyes, she could see now, were not really black but a very dark brown. _They kinda look like that midnight chocolate I like… what is it? Like 70% cocoa? Damn it Ally!_ As Ally refocused, she realized he had made it to her face. He was watching her in a slightly peculiar way. A small smile played at the corner of his mouth. _That's just not fair._ He seemed to know exactly what was going through her mind. He also looked kinda hot when he half smiled like that.

Thankfully, at that moment, Seekins shouted, "OK everyone." They all took a ready stance as he paused. "Shake hands. This will be your '_parabatai_' for the week."

**E/N: A wee bit of a cliffy for you there. Hopefully that was juicy enough to keep you holding on for a bit longer while I figure out this whole lack-of-a-laptop thing until next time dearies! Peace/Love/Jellybeans for all!**


	4. Meets and Greets

**A/N: I feel kinda bad for losing chapter 1 so I'm gonna go ahead and post chapter 4!**

**Thanks to those who have commented. I'm trying to answer them all now :D reviews make me really happy…just so you know… but enough about me, you're here to find out what's going on with Ally and James **

**Disclaimer: The older generation characters in this story are the property of Casandra Clare. This story is a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. However, the new characters and the progression of their lives belong to me.**

**Chapter 4: Meets and Greets and Other Significant Happenings**

~~James POV~~

"Alright! Final pairings!" called Aline.

_This is it… Only 6 of us left… And she's one of them… I hope they don't pair me with her, I'd really hate to have to fight her… There's only a 20% chance that they'll pair us… I'd say the odds are in my favor…Although…It would give me an excuse to say 'Hi' to her…_

"Levi Lightwood, Isaac Harel."

_Uh oh… 33% chance_

Lucy Graymark, Andromeda Angelis.

_100%…I'm screwed_

James Carstairs, Allysa Lightwood."

James took a deep breath as he moved to stand in front of her.

_OK. This is just like fighting any other opponent… Except you aren't usually attracted to your other opponents… I can do this…No you can't…FOCUS… First things first… A good warrior can measure their opponent's strengths before the match has even started… _

He didn't want to look her in the eye just yet, so he started at her feet. He happened to catch a glimpse of her face and noticed that she, too, was measuring him up.

_Hmm, she's been trained well. I wonder how well… OK Focus… She's small with strong legs… Quick… I'll have to watch her footwork… Tight abs and nice arms… Strong punches…I'll have to keep an eye on her fists as well… _

James took another deep breath and moved to her face. The first thing he noticed was her eyes. _Wow...they look like caramels… I bet they could melt a guy's heart faster than an ice cube in hell…I could melt into those eyes… Focus… _The second thing he noticed was that she was blushing. _I didn't know shadowhunters could blush… _Thirdly, he realized she seemed to be having some sort of internal debate and trouble concentrating. _It's nice to see that I have that effect on a girl. And mother thought I might be gay… She's kinda cute when she bites her lip like that…_

Ally refocused and met his eyes and he almost smiled at her but realized they were supposed to be fighting soon, so he tried to hide it. He was pretty sure some of it leaked through.

Thankfully, at that moment, Seekins shouted, "OK everyone." They all took a ready stance as he paused. "Shake hands. This will be your '_parabatai_' for the week."

~~Ally POV~~

"What?" Ally and James asked at the same time.

"That's right," said Seekins. "The rest of the two classes will come see us in a moment for your partners. Here's the assignment. Now, we realize some of you have already found your _parabatai_, that's fine. That's why this is only temporary. We want you to spend as much time as possible with your assigned '_parabatai' _this week. Learn from them. How they train, how they move, how they fight. Try to align yourselves with them. Compromise is going to be key. In one week, we will all meet back here and we will have a sparring match between pairs."

There were a few excited "Yes"es from the crowd of students.

"There will also be a 2 page report due to us by Tuesday morning, detailing what you learned from one another."

This time there were disappointed "Aww man"s from the students.

"And that's one report per person, not per group."

More "Aww"s.

Aline broke in. "OK. Those of you that have your partners, you are dismissed, the rest of you come see myself or George for you assignments. Thank you."

Ally turned to James. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets. She decided it was now or never. She put out her hand.

"Hi! I'm Alyssa Lightwood, but you can call me Ally."

He took her hand and a jolt of electricity shot through Ally's arm and down her spine. _Woo, that was interesting, I kinda liked it._

"Hi. James... Carstairs." He had a slightly deep voice and an English accent. _Ooh, that's a sexy accent…_

"You don't talk much do you James?"

"Not really"

"OK. But I'm warning you now, I like to fill silences, awkward or otherwise, with the sweet sound of my sultry voice. So if prepare to check your earmuffs at the door, K?"

James laughed, "I'm OK with that."

Just then Levi and Lucy came up with their partners. Introductions were made.

"So you mentioned something to me about a party this morning," said Lucy.

Ally looked around at the group a little embarrassed but decided since they had to spend a lot of time with these people for the next week, they may as well know.

"Well, since my birthday is Thursday, my parents want to throw a party for me on Saturday." She looked to the three partners, "You guys are welcome to come, you know, since its part of that whole, spending time and learning from each other thing. And no presents required."

"I might be busy with my family Saturday," said Isaac, "but if it is OK maybe I could stop by for a short while."

"Sure. Andy?" Andromeda mentioned she preferred this nickname during their introductions.

"I'm free. Sounds fun. I love parties," said Andy.

"Sweet. Oh and Lucy, Levi, Make sure you let your families know."

"Will do," they replied together.

"Alright see you guys later."

"Bye."

"See you."

"Later."

"Bye."

"How 'bout you big guy?"

James laughed, "Big guy, huh? Yeah, alright, I'll be there."

"Cool. How's about we get started on this assignment? Let me grab my stuff, and I'll meet you by the gate."

"Alright."

_This is going to be a fun one to try and explain to my dad… 'I know I said no boys at the party, well now there's two, but it's OK it's schoolwork'… somehow I doubt that's gonna fly…_

Ally grabbed her backpack and her art box. When she turned, she saw James already waiting by the gate. He was leaning with one foot up against the wall with his hands in his pockets. _Perfect model pose…He looks like a model… I wonder if he'd think it was creepy if I sketched him…Probably…_

"You ready?" he asked as she got closer.

"Yup."

He bent down and grabbed his backpack and a wooden case of some sort and they headed in the direction of Ally's house. They chatted lightly so as to start getting to know each other better.

"So you're from England?" Ally asked, trying to get him to take up the conversation.

"Who told?" he asked, his accent extra thick, with mock aghast written all over his face.

Ally laughed, "And you know how to joke."

"Of course I know how to joke. And I do talk once I get to know someone, and I'm out away from the crowds. I don't like being around a lot of people, its… just not normal to me…it makes me uncomfortable."

Ally pretended to take notes on her hand, muttering under her breath, "…large crowds make him squirm… Go on." She held her fake pen out like a microphone and smiled.

James gave her a little shove and smiled back. "Sorry, my attorney told me not to talk to the press."

They both laughed.

"Anyway. Yes, I am from England. London actually. My family has been there for over a hundred years."

"Wow. A hundred? I think mine's only been in New York about 25 years or so. What's London like?"

"Oh you know, big city, double decker buses, demons, and dreariness."

"So, just like the pictures?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Actually it's not that bad. I grew up there and I really can't imagine being anywhere else."

"Really? I want to be everywhere else. New York is home, sure, but I want to see it all."

"So you don't live here in Alicante?"

"No. Our family, and by family I mean the collective Lightwoods, Greymarks and Lewises, owns a little house here in the city and a country house out in the Fairchild Meadow. My mom and dad and I are staying here in the city for the summer. Lucy and Levi split their time between the city house and the country house where Grandma Jos and Grandpa Luke are staying for the summer. They're Lucy's parents, so she's technically my aunt but we're really more like sisters. Levi is my cousin and his parents, Aunt Iz and Uncle Simon are in New York with Grandpa Bob and Grandma May."

"Wow. Big family."

"Yeah. Here we are."

They had just arrived outside the city house. Ally pulled out a key and unlocked the door. They went inside and dropped their backpacks and cases by the door.

"Mom? Dad?" Ally called out.

No answer.

"OK, I'm gonna run up and change real quick, make yourself at home."

Ally pointed James in the direction of the kitchen before dashing up the stairs. She grabbed a pair of workout sweats, the cute blue ones that fit her a little better, and a small white tee. She had thrown them on and was just tying up her hair when she heard the door open. _Uh-oh._

Ally sprinted down the stairs. She got to the kitchen just as Jace was cornering James.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" he asked.

Before he could answer, Ally jumped in. "It's OK daddy, he's with me. Well… not _with_ me with me, but we're partners on a school project."

Jace looked suspicious. "Right. Like I haven't heard that one before."

"Ha. Like you haven't _used_that one before." Clary had just come in the front door. "Jace, let them do their project here in the kitchen where we can keep an eye on them."

"Actually, we have to train together," said Ally. We're '_parabatai_' for the week, so we have to learn from each other and also how to fight alongside each other. I think it's supposed to be some sort of exercise in adapting to those around you."

"Fine," Jace replied. "You can work in the training room where I can keep an eye on you two."

"Whatever makes you happy dad. By the way, this is James Carstairs. James, this is my dad Jace Lightwood and my mom Clary."

"Hi James, It's nice to meet you." Clary shook his hand before cutting her eyes at Jace and nodding her head in a none-too-subtle get-your-butt-over-here-and-say-hi-or-so-help-me-I'll-punch-you kind of gesture.

Jace walked over and shook his hand, still weary of the newcomer.

"Forgive me for saying so," began James, "but you don't really look like any of the Lightwoods I've met."

"That's 'cause dad was born a Herondale. He was adopted by the Lightwoods, long story."

"Herondale?" James suddenly looked a little unsure of himself. "Um, I just remembered something…" he started backing towards the front door, "I have to … pick up…" he grabbed his backpack and case, "across town…" he opened the door, "Bye Ally, I'll see you… later." He disappeared out the door, leaving a very confused Ally staring at the spot he had just been standing.

After a minute or so Jace asked, "Was it something I said?"

**E/N: Yay for awkward moments! Um anyway, I hope you like where this story is going so far. We're gonna get into a little bit of drama between the Herondales and Carstairs'. I mentioned in the summary that Ally is gonna have a power, and that's gonna happen, but not for a little while… more of the character development/budding romance stuff ;) Until next time… Peace/Love/Jellybeans for all!**


	5. STRADIVARIUS

**A/N: Well I guess when you don't have a TV or constant internet, there's nothing better to do than write a story…**

**Disclaimer: The older generation characters in this story are the property of Casandra Clare. This story is a sequel to The Mortal Instruments. However, the new characters and the progression of their lives belong to me.**

**Chapter 5: Stradivarius **

~~James POV~~

_Herondale? Go figure…I meet a girl who's gorgeous, smart, a good fighter, artistic… pretty much perfect, and she's a Herondale._

James had made it to his great aunt's house where he was staying for the summer. He went inside and up to his bedroom. His aunt was in London for the summer visiting his mother. She had decorated the entire house the same way – Victorian, lacey, fringy, gaudy – except for this room. It was, compared to the rest of the house, rather plain. A bed was in the corner with plain white linens and a gray comforter, the walls were white, and there was a bookcase in the corner. What he liked about this room was that there were jazz posters on every wall, they were big and colorful, all of them big stars from the thirties and forties in London. The bookcase was full of vinyl records, gramophone cylinders, and sheet music. All related to jazz. James wasn't sure why this room was decorated the way it was, but he liked it.

He threw his backpack on the floor and his case on the bed. He went over to the shelf, picked out some sheet music and went back to the bed. He pulled his case toward him and popped the clips. When he opened it, he didn't find the instrument he was looking for, but pencils, a lot of pencils._ Woops! I must have grabbed Ally's box by mistake. _There were about 50 or so on either side of the box. Three-fourths of the pencils were colored pencils, the rest were sketch pencils varying in hardness. All of the pencils, he noted, were about 2 to 4 inches long. _She must use these a lot. _

_Oh well… I'll have to see her again at some point to work on this project. I can't believe I just walked out on them like that. They must think I'm a complete douche… I'll talk to her tomorrow after class and explain… maybe she'll understand…_

~~Ally POV~~

"Wow. That was a rather douchy move on his part. I mean seriously... He shakes hands with your dad then runs away. Who does that?" Lucy was in shock. Ally had finished telling her about the odd encounter between James and her parents last night. They were on their way to the academy.

"Oh and get this. He was in such a hurry to leave, he grabbed my art box by mistake." Ally waved the case she was currently holding in front of Lucy.

"Really? So what's that?" asked Lucy, pointing to the box.

"This is a violin. And not just any violin. A _Stradivarius. _A _freakin STRADIVARIUS!"_

"Those are supposed to be the best right? Worth like thousands of dollars?"

"Try hundreds of thousands… millions even. You don't just run off and leave that kind of money lying around in some stranger's house."

"I wonder how he got his hands on a Stradivarius… I wonder if he's any good…" Lucy started going off into her own little world. _Typical Lucy…_

"Earth to Lucy, come in Lucy."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at Ally.

"Oh, sorry. Moon to Lucy, come in Lucy."

"That's better. You know I don't answer to the earth. Oh hey, speaking of instruments, are we playing at your birthday?"

"Sure! Any chance we get to play to a crowd… even if it is just the family."

"And a couple classmates."

"That too. Hey, I wonder if James would want to join us."

"Ooh, that would be awesome!"

"What are you two lovebirds chattering about?" Levi had just walked up to join them. He had left early to meet Isaac.

"Oh, just the possibility of a certain someone joining our band." Lucy jabbed her elbow into Ally's side and winked.

"That would be impossible," said Levi.

"Why?" the two girls asked together.

"Uh, hello, because we are 'The Halfbreeds.' I'm half vampire, Lucy's half warewolf, and Ally's half angel… sorta… you know what I mean."

"So, our bassist isn't a halfbreed…Marec's a… warlock… OK nevermind," Lucy finished lamely.

"Nice argument Luce," said Ally.

Lucy blushed.

"Hey, have you seen James? I need to give this back to him," Ally said, indicating the box.

"Nope. Not yet. But if I do I'll let him know you're looking for him."

"Thanks Levi. If you don't see him 'till class starts, tell him I'll be over on the hill afterwards."

"Will do."

"Thanks."

At that moment the bell rang and James wasn't anywhere to be seen.

**E/N: Short Chappie. Peace/Love/Jellybeans for all!**


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